Invisible Protectors
by audaciousheroine
Summary: Every night he would pray but tonight he is praying under different circumstances he is praying for her. For her safety and return.


**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. First timer, let me know what you think and enjoy.

Every night he prays. He knows that she would find it amusing, that she would state many rational facts and continue until he interrupted her. He doesn't care, this is his belief, his faith. He does it for himself, for those he loves, for her. Sometimes they are brief and sometimes they are long but each prayer has meaning full of concern and affection.

He prays to Saint Dymphna, the saint of mental health. His job is stressful, his days are long full of headaches and his nights are sleepless. He constantly worries, he worries for those who are missing, for Parker, for the families who do not know about their loved ones, he worries for her. He feels as though some days he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He worries that one day the stress will become too much and he will snap, be pushed over the edge and drive those he cares about away. He prays to Dymphna for that day to never come, he prays to her to keep his sanity.

He prays to Saint Lucy, the saint of writers and Albert the Great of scientists. He prays to them just for her.

He prays to Saint Raphael the Archangel, the saint of keeping nightmares at bay. He hasn't slept in four days, not since the incident. He can't. Every time he closes his eyes his mind is plagued with unthinkable images. His body aches, his eyes are tired, his body is begging him to rest but his mind will not give in and allow it.

He prays to Saint Nicholas, the protector of children. Parker is his life, the reason he gets up in the morning. He loves him more then anything in the world, if he ever lost his son not even Saint Dymphna herself could save him.

He prays to Saint Michael the Archangel, the saint of temptation. His days are full of temptation, he wants to bash the skulls in of the murders, he wants to put a bullet between their eyes but he knows he can't. It is hard to control but he manges to keep his anger under his command. The other type of temptation is even more difficult to keep in check. He wonders if she knows it but he aches for her. Her smile, that pale, smooth skin, those blue eyes. Every day he yearns for her to walk straight into that lab, pull her close to him and kiss her. He knows he can't do that either, it's not professional, it would ruin everything they've built together. Although it is torture for him to keep his temptation under control, he finds the thought of losing her even more unbearable. He prays to Michael for guidance and restraint.

He prays to Saint Joseph for justice. His job is to maintain authority, to put murders behind bars and to give those who cannot speak for themselves a voice. He knows that whatever the criminals receive it is not enough, they are not fit to be called human. Some days he thinks that the system is just corrupt as the people they sentence but he can still pray, he can still hope that justice will prevail.

He prays to Saint Anthony, for it said if you pray to him that the one who is missing will return. He prays to him for the missing victims that they return to their families. He prays even though the odds of them returning are nearly impossible, he prays because he hopes. He never thought he would be praying to him personally for someone close to him but he is.

He prays to Saint Jude, the saint of desperate cases. He knows that he is working overtime because of his pleas. The times he has prayed to him in the past he has come through. So now as he is kneeling in front of his bed, his bible on his mattress. His hands are folded, pressed against his forehead, his head cast downward in a respectful bow. He knows that it has been four days with no leads, that hope is dwindling with each hour that passes and that the odds of finding her are slim. He can not give up, he will not. He believes in her, has faith in her, he knows that she is strong and resourceful but that doesn't mean he won't ask greater forces for some assistance.

"Please," His voice is barely above a whisper desperation laces it, "Please keep her safe and bring her back to me."

He can only hope that they are listening.

What do you think, I'm working a second half now, should I continue? Please review.

_AH_


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